Eldercare won the Alzheimer's Australia SA Dementia Care Excellence Award at the 2016 South Australian Community Achievement Awards last Friday.

Eldercare conceived its Dementia Excellence Program six years ago and, by mid-2016, had introduced it at 12 residential facilities across the Greater Adelaide and Yorke Peninsula regions.

Chief Executive Jane Pickering said the Dementia Excellence Program ‘replaced task-focused care with a person-centred approach’.

“We’ve successfully integrated clinical leadership, lifestyle programs and tailored support for residents, ongoing family assistance and supportive physical environments to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia,” said Ms Pickering.

“The strategies we’ve introduced prove that small changes relating to staff attitudes and communication, work patterns and personal routines as well as the look and feel of our facilities can have profound positive effects.”

Dementia Excellence Program Manager Sarah Jamieson said the program empowered residents to make their own decisions relating to their daily care including when they liked to bathe or shower and what they wanted to eat.

“Residents are becoming more relaxed, more engaged, more valued, better understood and more active because of the program,” said Mrs Jamieson.

“They are sleeping better, taking less medication and many are communicating more with families and staff.

“The positive outcomes we’re seeing, and feedback we are receiving from residents, families and staff, have convinced us that we have found the key to improving the wellbeing and quality of life for our residents living with dementia.”